11:49, 4 June 2021

Ingush activist released from courtroom

The court has sentenced Ibragim Merzhoev, a participant of the rally in Magas, to nine months in prison on charges of using violence against a state official. Merzhoev has pleaded guilty; and the court regarded his term to have been served.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the case of seven Ingush protest leaders, accused of creating an extremist community, has been considered since November 24, 2020. On May 25, "Rosgvardia" (Russian National Guard) servicemen stated that they did not know the defendants and refused to treat themselves as victims.

Ibragim Merzhoev was accused of the fact that during the dispersal of a rally in Magas on March 27, 2019, he threw a chair into the head of a "Rosgvardia" fighter. He was detained on November 30, 2020, and has been kept at the SIZO (pre-trial prison) since then. With account of this time, the judge has ruled that Merzhoev had served his sentence in full.

As of June 3, 36 people had been convicted under the "Ingush case." A total of 51 persons have been brought to criminal liability; the prosecution of three of them was stopped, says the website of the HRC "Memorial"*.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 3, 2021 at 08:44 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Source: CK correspondent